The Versatile Upright

These units are by far the most popular, and for good reason. They are capable of providing cleaning in multiple ways. The most common way uprights are used is as a push-around vacuum. This is highly convenient and enables you to cover a large area of floor space in the shortest amount of time.

Many come with a detachable hose and a variety of attachments. This is important because the standard use can only go so far–under the couch or chairs especially. Adding a wand and an attachment helps reach those places that the sneaky drifting balls of pet fur like to hide. Many times I finished vacuuming only to have a tumbleweed of a fur ball come rolling out from under the sofa.

You can also go bag or bagless with these units. I prefer bagless even though it may need to be emptied more often. When I used a bag unit, I would sometimes continue to vacuum with a full clogged bag, basically sucking up nothing. An upright vacuum is an excellent choice for a home that needs to clean up pet hair.

The Cunning Canister

These machines are basically a suitcase-shaped body with a hose and wand attachment. Many people prefer these because they don’t have to bother with switching how they clean like you do with an upright, therefore, making cleaning time faster. These usually have great suction power and attachment heads that have rotating brushes making rugs easier to tackle.

The Handy Handheld

Believe it or not, handheld vacuums are more powerful than ever, and a lot of the top rated vacuums for animal owners are handhelds. Many come with a hose and wand attachments. These machines only work well, though, if you have a smaller place. The dirt receptacle is typically much smaller, which means frequent emptying and more time working. Still, if your space isn’t that big, this machine might be great for your simpler needs. You can learn more about how to pick a good handheld vacuum at Home Floor Experts.

The Risky Robot Vacuum

I only call this vacuum cleaner risky because it might not work out for your particular situation. Personally, I love my robot vacuum! It cleans while I’m away, covers my hardwood and my throw rugs throughout the downstairs living area, and goes back home to recharge for the next round of cleaning.

More frequent vacuuming, thanks to the robot vacuum, makes the house look cleaner and the big cleaning day much easier.

Two big potential deal-breakers for you might be:

Robot vacuums have very small dust cups and they fill up fast. Then need to basically be emptied and taken apart and cleaned after every single run.

They don’t do stairs. You will need to have a separate machine to cover your staircase and potentially other floors.

The bottom line with the robot machine is, if you can afford to have two, you will truly love getting the pet hair vacuumed off of your floors while you’re not even home. Your second vacuum will cover the rest of the house, thereby making your cleaning experience much shorter.

Time To Vent!

All vacuums have an exhaust vent. My upright would typically blow the hair across the room, away from the vacuum, frustrating me immensely. Using your wand and floor attachment, even with your upright, may be your best move.

So, if you’re a pet owner and you’re covered in shedding hair, any vacuum you get needs to have that hose, wand, and attachment option. Another great option not mentioned in this article is to use a backpack vacuum that you can carry around (more information on backpack vacuums, read this article: http://www.floorcompanion.com/backpack-vacuum-cleaners/). It may take you a little longer to find the best pet vacuum–and a lot longer to vacuum–but our four-legged family members are always worth it. Keep in mind that there are many other methods of dealing with pet hair, and vacuuming is not the only option.